Putin said Russia would use all weapons at its disposal if Kaliningrad or other territory came under direct attack. The warning, delivered amid tensions over Ukraine, drew a NATO response that nuclear threats were unhelpful.
Moscow has made clear it would defend Kaliningrad with nuclear weapons if necessary, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, warning the West against escalating tensions over Ukraine.
Speaking at the Valdai Forum in Moscow, Putin said Russia had no plans to attack any European country and wanted to coexist peacefully, but stressed that Moscow would use all weapons in its arsenal if Kaliningrad or other Russian territory came under direct attack.
“If it comes to a direct attack on the Russian Federation — in this case, we are referring to Kaliningrad, and perhaps other territories as well — the question of the Russian Federation deploying all the weapons at our country’s disposal will, of course, inevitably and immediately be on the agenda,” Putin said.
“This is inevitable,” he added.
Kaliningrad, Russia’s westernmost territory, is located between NATO members Poland and Lithuania and is heavily militarised. Putin said Russia understood that NATO was “twice our size” and would have to rely on its military advantages in any confrontation.
He also pointed to the nuclear capabilities of France and Britain, saying Russia was fully aware of them but maintained that Moscow possessed weapons that gave it a “competitive advantage”.
Putin’s remarks came after NATO said it had received a diplomatic note from Moscow warning that Russia was prepared to use nuclear weapons if the alliance attempted to cut off Kaliningrad.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance had responded by stressing that it was defensive in nature and that nuclear threats were unhelpful.
Relations between Russia and the West have remained deeply strained since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. European governments have also accused Russia of intensifying what they describe as a “hybrid war” involving alleged sabotage and arson. Moscow denies the accusations and rejects claims that it is preparing to attack a NATO country.
Putin warned that continued escalation could eventually reach a point from which there would be no return.
“We must realise that the moment when nothing can be changed any longer may come very quickly and unexpectedly for everyone,” he said, warning that increasingly severe retaliatory measures could lead to “a fatal point of no return”.
He said the world’s leading powers possessed weapons capable of causing catastrophic destruction and urged governments to avoid a situation in which such weapons could be used.
Putin also said he was ready for a trilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump if a proper agenda was agreed in advance.
On Ukraine, Putin ruled out halting Russian strikes against Ukrainian targets in the Black Sea region. He acknowledged that Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries had cost Russia about 1% of its GDP and said Moscow was responding in kind.
While warning of the potential consequences of Western support for Ukrainian deep strikes inside Russia, Putin said Moscow was not planning to attack European arms factories supplying Ukraine “tomorrow”.
